


the kids aren't alright (but they will be)

by scrambledreg



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Creeper Hybrid Awesamdude, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, and the boys dont meet many of those, hehe, minertwt vibes, people and relationships to be added, protagonist syndrome tommy lmfaoo, sam is a Good Adult
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28841376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrambledreg/pseuds/scrambledreg
Summary: Kids Go Apeshit AU, where the DreamSMP kids realize they deserved a whole lot better than what they’re given.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Sam | Awesamdude, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Sam | Awesamdude & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit
Comments: 21
Kudos: 508





	the kids aren't alright (but they will be)

**Author's Note:**

> Every character I'm writing about is fictional this is roleplay !! if any content creator expresses discomfort i will delete :thumbsup:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam notices a lot of things. He doesn't mention them, but he does his best to help anyway.
> 
> Or, Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo find an adult they can trust.

It started when Sam joined the Essempii.

During the rebellion, he and the Badlands were technically neutral, but that didn’t stop him from offering Tommy, who looked like he hadn’t even hit puberty, a place to stay if he needed it. Though that offer was never fully taken up, Tommy took to visiting Sam during the day every once and awhile. At first he was loud, asking all sorts of questions and spouting all sorts of nonsense. Eventually, as Sam continued to answer his questions and laugh at his jokes, he got more comfortable. He brought Tubbo then, too, because Tubbo liked redstone, and Tommy knew that he could use a break from being Vice President, a break from being a Spy. Sam watched the way Tubbo’s eyes lit up whenever something worked, how he seemed to buzz with excitement whenever he asked about certain wiring. Sam watched the way Tommy smiled whenever Tubbo cheered, how he sat peacefully making small flower crowns for his friend, cracking jokes when he could. He didn’t mention it, of course, just kept an eye on them. He liked explaining things, and he was always sure to save the crowns they left. 

~~

Then the festival happens. Sam wasn’t a part of it; he wasn’t invited nor was he interested. But Tubbo and Tommy had been talking about it for days, so he anxiously awaited their return, ready to hear Tommy’s grandiose speech and Tubbo’s correcting interjections. But the day after the festival, Tommy shows up, bruised, quiet, and alone. Sam notices the way tears silently fall down the boy’s face every once and a while, how his hands shake so much he can’t make any crowns. He doesn’t mention it, of course, but makes sure he laughs at the few jokes Tommy manages to utter, and makes sure he leaves with a few more potions in his bag than he came with. 

~~

The next day, Tubbo’s back, but he’s less Tubbo than before. There’s a big, stretching scar that covers half of his face, taking away the baby fat, and his left eye is a bit cloudier than usual. Sam notices the way Tubbo tenses when Sam uses a crossbow to catch some food, how he asks quietly if Sam could avoid making fireworks for a while. Sam notices how Tommy refuses to leave Tubbo’s side the entire time they’re there, and how he has to pull Tubbo away from walking into a couple trees. He doesn’t mention it, of course, but makes sure he gestures more clearly, and marks a path around the base when they leave.

~~

Then the war happens. Tommy and Tubbo don’t visit for a while. 

~~

They come back, eventually, but they’re a lot less them than before. Sam notices how Tommy looks at Tubbo’s mouth when he’s speaking, how Tubbo nudges Tommy to get his attention before speaking. Sam notices how Tommy taps and rubs his hears much more often, and how he only jumps at loud noises after Tubbo does. He doesn’t mention it, of course, but he looks directly at Tommy and tries speaking slower, and starts learning about sound waves once they leave.

~~

Once Sam has a version of the aids that at least don’t shock the wearer every two seconds, he brings them to Tommy. He knows the boy’s reluctant to accept help, so he tries another tactic.

“Hey Tommy,” he says after waving at the kids walking up to the base, “I thought you could test these out for me.” He sees the way they both tense up, pressing together, when he walks up, so he slows down and opens his hands fully before reaching to them.

“What the fuck are these?” Tommy squints at the small pieces of electronics Sam’s holding.

“They look like something for your ears.” Tubbo says quietly, but he repeats himself when Tommy looks over.

“They’re hearing aids,” Sam explains after Tommy looks at him again, “Explosions cause hearing loss, and I wanted to see if I could make something to help.” Tommy takes them hesitantly, carefully fitting them into his ears. He looks at both of them, resting his gaze on Sam.

“Well, I reckon you have to say something to test it out, dickheads.”

“You’re the dickhead, dickhead.” Tubbo retorts, and Tommy’s eyes widen, and he whips his head towards him.

“The fuck did you just say to me?” He starts to repeat himself, but Tommy cuts him off, “No, I heard you the first time, I just,” He pauses, looks at Sam, then back at Tubbo. “Tubbo! I heard you the first time!” Tubbo starts grinning, though it looks more like a grimace on one side.

“Are you joking? Holy crap, man!” They both look excitedly at Sam, who smiles.

“You can keep them, in exchange for telling me how to improve them.” 

“Oh, Big S, thank you man. I really appreciate it.” Tubbo grabs onto Tommy’s arm.

“Tommy, you can hear bees again! We gotta go!” He starts pulling the other boy to the forest. “Bye Sam! See you tomorrow! Thanks again!” They both laugh as they run into the woods, leaving a waving Sam behind. 

~~

The days between are much the same, until they bring someone new. He towers over all three of them, though he avoids eye contact as much as possible. He introduces himself as Ranboo. Sam notices how his skin is half the black, scaly skin of an enderman, how he practically folds himself in half but still hits his head on branches. He doesn’t mention it, of course, just avoids eye contact and doesn’t kill any endermen that show up when the kids are around. 

~~

Once, Ranboo comes alone. He’s a lot quieter, and spends most of his time scribbling in his notebook. Sam stays silent, as he doesn’t think it’ll help, until Ranboo speaks up.

“Hey mister, uh, Sam? I know you work with redstone, but why does it always smell like gunpowder?” Sam chuckles, mainly because neither of the other boys had ever mentioned it. Maybe they were too used to the smell of explosions to notice.

“It’s a symptom of being a creeper hybrid, I suppose.” He sees Ranboo straighten at this. “I drop some when I die, but not as much as killing a full creeper does.”

“Oh.” Ranboo says quietly, mostly to himself. “Do they- Do the others treat you differently? Because you’re hostile?”

“Sure, when they first find out. Though mine’s a little easier to hide than yours.” He notices how Ranboo’s shoulders tense, then drop in disappointment. “There’s more to life than just worrying about what others think though, kid. It took me a while to realize that, but I got there. You will too.” Ranboo hums in agreement. “Where’d you come from, anyway? You seem familiar.”

“I uh, used to be at Hypixel a lot.” Sam looks over. 

“The fighting worlds? What were you doing there?”

“Uh. Fighting? I remember being good, and Niki says I did really well there.” Sam distantly remembers the name ‘Ranboo’ on a leaderboard somewhere, but it’s still foggy.

“Ranboo, can you stand up for me? Like actually stand up.” He obliges, unfolding himself from where he’s sitting and stretches himself out. “Can you raise your arms for me? Like this.” Sam raises his arms in mock celebration, and Ranboo copies him. Yeah, he’s definitely seen this kid before. He looks a lot different in the Essempii than he did on Hypixel.

Ranboo looks like he’s about to speak when his pocket buzzes. He pulls out his communicator, and lets out a small chirp in surprise. “Sorry mister Sam, but I have to go, I just realized-” Sam waves his hand, urging Ranboo to go do what needs to be done. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” He writes one last thing in his book, pauses, and teleports to the forest, leaving small purple specks in his space. 

~~

The next day, Tubbo and Ranboo show up, which confuses Sam. He hadn’t seen Tommy or Tubbo alone since the day of the festival, and he asks gently where Tommy was.

“Tommy is,” Tubbo takes a big breath. “Tommy had to be exiled. For the good of L’manburg.” It sounds more like he’s trying to reassure himself than telling Sam. Ranboo lets go of the grass block he’s been holding to pat Tubbo’s shoulder, who looks at him. “Why are you holding a grass block?”

“Oh. Uh. Enderman thing? I guess. I usually don’t notice if I’ve picked one up.” He chuckles awkwardly and goes to set it down. Sam turns to Tubbo.

“You can still visit him, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure if I should. I’m not sure if he’ll want me there.” Sam knows this isn’t true. Sam knows, he’s seen how much Tommy and Tubbo care about each other. He knows they won’t admit it, so he tries a different tactic.

“Well, I’ll still need to update his hearing aids, so could you at least go visit to bring them to me? You won’t even have to talk if you don’t want to.” Tubbo thinks for a moment, then nods. “Thank you. Now, I want to show you this new door I’ve been working on,” and Sam leaves it at that. Tubbo seems eager to distract himself, and Ranboo sits and writes in his notebook some more. Sam doesn’t mention it, of course, but hugs them extra close when they leave.

~~

The days of Tommy’s exile pass like those before, albeit a little quieter. Tubbo and Ranboo try to visit his camp at least once a week, trading the hearing aids back and forth, and telling Sam stories of Logstedshire. They tell him about how small Tommy looks now, how Dream takes his armor every day, and even bring back smashed hearing aids a couple times. Sam listens, makes sure he gives them food for the boy whenever they take back the hearing aids. He asks them to update him as much as possible, and they promise to do their best. They bring back notes from Tommy every once and awhile, shaky, stuttering thank-yous and small notes about improvements. He doesn’t mention it, of course, just tries to make them as blast- and weather-resistant as possible.

~~

Then one day, as Sam’s working calmly on a new invention, Tubbo and Ranboo burst out of the forest, both on the verge of tears. He catches them in his arms, holding onto their shoulders until they’ve stopped shaking enough to speak. Sam notices small, scarred lines running from Ranboo’s eyes to his chin, and even smaller ones down his neck. He doesn’t mention it.

“Tommy, he-he,” Tubbo chokes out. “He wasn’t at Logstedshire, and there was this big crater, and the tower, and-” Sam makes the connection, even though Tubbo can’t say it out loud. He envelopes the kid in a hug, can feel his small frame shake as Sam gently rubs his back.

“There’s no way he did it. There’s no way. There wasn’t a note, or a- or a sign, or-” Sam lifts a hand and grabs Ranboo’s shoulder, not looking him in the eyes.

“Okay, boys, let’s think this through. There was a crater?” Sam says gently, and Tubbo pulls away, nodding. “Where?”

“It was in the campground area, mostly. Tommy had built a secret room, he was gathering supplies because we were thinking about running away.” Tubbo pauses, exchanging a cautious look with Ranboo. He nods, and Tubbo continues, “we think Dream found it, and blew it up. And then Tommy-” He sniffles, and Ranboo picks up where he left off.

“But there’s no way he would’ve done it, right? We were almost ready to run, he wouldn’t have just left us, would he?” Sam sighs. He doesn’t know why all the problems in this server seem to revolve and Dream and some kids, but he doesn’t want to see these kids hurt more than they already are.

“Okay, so if he didn’t do it, where would he go? Is there a place you guys knew about? Anywhere safe? Anyone he trusted?” With this, Tubbo and Ranboo both look up, and at each other.

“Technoblade.” They say in unison.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> my twitter is @ scrambledreg (same as here) !!! :]


End file.
